Support parents' recovery after birth

Postnatal companions volunteer as part of a team to support and nurture parents’ physical and emotional recovery following birth. You’ll help ensure parents are rested, nourished, and able to bond with and comfortably feed their baby during those crucial early weeks.

About the role

You’ll provide emotional and practical support to women and birthing people following birth through a combination of in-person visits, phone support, and outings.

Support is tailored to each client and may include:

  • Postnatal planning during pregnancy
  • Helping with infant feeding (breast/chest, formula, combination)
  • Assisting with shopping and domestic tasks like food preparation
  • Caring for other children to allow parents to rest or attend to their baby, or caring for the new baby so parents can rest, bathe, or eat
  • Accompanying parents to medical appointments, birth registration, or baby wellbeing checks
  • Connecting parents with local parent/baby groups and the Amma Family peer support group
  • Using interpreters to overcome language barriers
  • Informing staff when referrals to other agencies are needed
  • Keeping simple but thorough records in our client database

You’ll work in small teams alongside other volunteers, with support from Amma’s Perinatal Team Leaders.

Is this role right for you?

Before applying to volunteer as a postnatal companion, please consider the following role requirements:

  • Flexibility - Typically 3-4 visits per family (approximately 10 hours total support), mostly during working hours. Whilst not on-call, some flexibility is needed as babies may arrive early.
  • Practical support skills - Helping with infant care, domestic tasks like food preparation, and accompanying parents to appointments.
  • Location & mobility - Visiting homes across Glasgow, including those only accessible by stairs and cramped spaces like hotel rooms.
  • Training commitment - Approximately 40 hours of in-person training in Glasgow and self-directed online learning
  • Emotional resilience - Supporting families with trauma histories and complex needs. Supervision and team support are provided.

Recruitment & training dates

We recruit and train new birth companions twice per year. Our next volunteer recruitment will be spring/summer 2026, with training starting in August 2026. Training dates will be confirmed shortly – please keep an eye on our website for more details or sign up to our mailing list.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. We will begin to reach out to candidates at each application deadline.  

Frequently asked questions

Who can volunteer as a postnatal companion?

Our volunteers come from all walks and stages of life — that’s what makes the team so great! We ask that postnatal companions:

  • Can speak, read, and write English to a good standard (for clear communication with medical staff and detailed record-keeping)
  • Live within or can easily commute to clients’ homes across Greater Glasgow
  • Are punctual and reliable
  • Can attend approximately 40 hours of in-person training plus self-directed online learning
  • Work and communicate well within a team
  • Are compassionate and committed to social justice, anti-racism, and inclusion
  • Can support individuals with extensive trauma histories (please consider your own wellbeing if currently healing from trauma)
  • Can support people within home settings and other accommodation across the city, including homes only accessible by stairs
  • Agree to a PVG check (Protecting Vulnerable Groups)

We especially encourage multilingual volunteers and those with lived experience of migration to apply! We also welcome those with an interest in supporting infant feeding.

We are inclusive of all women (cis and trans). We welcome non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming people who share or have shared lived experiences of women’s issues and are comfortable in a space that centres women.

No. We provide intensive training including:

  • ~15 hours of self-paced online study 
  • ~40 hours of in-person training over three months
  • Shadowing with experienced staff members once in-person training begins
  • Ongoing support from a mentor, volunteer manager, and the wider team

Per client: Typically 3-4 visits (approximately 10 hours of support total), though clients with complex needs may require more time. Support is usually frontloaded, with more visits soon after birth, reducing as weeks go on.

Scheduling: The team creates a general rota based on volunteer availability. To ensure volunteers receive the best possible support from our team, we ask that postnatal visits and practical support tasks take place predominantly within our office hours (Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm). This means the role is best suited to those with weekday daytime availability.

Meeting before birth: Ideally, you’ll meet the parent you’re supporting once before the baby arrives, though this isn’t always possible if they’re referred late in pregnancy.

Important: Whilst you’re not on-call like birth companions, some flexibility is still needed since babies may arrive before their expected delivery date.

Our training explores different ways of learning and promotes discussion and connection. Most volunteers finish feeling supported and excited to begin offering postnatal support.

Topics include:

  • Providing trauma-informed care
  • Boundaries and confidentiality
  • The experiences of our client group
  • Safeguarding, allyship, and privilege
  • Supporting survivors in the birth space
  • Introduction to infant feeding
  • Supporting the postpartum parent
  • Advocacy
  • Infant first aid
  • Food hygiene

Trainee volunteers are expected to shadow our staff team of Perinatal Team Leaders who are actively supporting families. 

We also provide ongoing training opportunities to support you in your role.

No. We never want our volunteers to be out of pocket!

We cover:

  • Travel expenses for training and volunteering (we simply ask that you try to take the least expensive public transport available). If you live outside of Glasgow, please discuss with our Volunteer Manager, Jenny Block.
  • Computer and/or internet access if you don’t have these at home. This ensures you can complete online training and update your client notes.
  • If you’re a refugee, in the asylum system, or have no recourse to public funds and have no access to childcare, we can reimburse childcare costs during training but not when you are volunteering.
  • An Amma phone for each active volunteer. This means you don’t incur mobile expenses and it protects your privacy and boundaries when working with families.

We’re committed to supporting volunteers with disabilities. Our team offers personalised assistance, and our training accommodates different learning needs.

Postnatal companions may need to:

  • Navigate stairs – some homes are only accessible by stairs
  • Work in cramped spaces – some clients live in cramped accommodation (e.g., hotel rooms)
  • Manage varied home environments – volunteering in homes can present sensory challenges including household noise, odours, visual stimuli, and variable lighting and room temperature
  • Travel across Greater Glasgow to reach clients’ homes

Given the physical requirements of home visiting, we recommend contacting our Volunteer Manager, Jenny Block (jenny@ammabirthcompanions.org), before applying to discuss your specific access needs and how these might be accommodated within the role.

Supporting parents in complex situations is fulfilling, but the emotional impact can be significant. We provide:

  • Ongoing support from an experienced mentor
  • Working in teams 
  • Supervision and mental health support available as needed
  • Ongoing skills development opportunities
  • Regular opportunities to connect with and befriend other Amma volunteers
  • An Amma phone for safe, boundaried working
  • A dedicated volunteer manager
  • Staff guidance on ending support with clients

Ready to join us?

Applications are open on a rolling basis, so please apply even if we aren’t actively recruiting. We’ll reach out to you during the next recruitment phase.

Apply now


If you are interested in volunteering with us but have limited availability, please consider our other flexible volunteer roles like Parent Supporter, Group Supporter and Driver.

Have questions? Contact our Volunteer Manager, Jenny Block: jenny@ammabirthcompanions.org